


Someday This Pain Will Be Useful

by Undertheblu



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Angst, Death, F/M, I hate tags, Inspired by The Walking Dead, M/M, Sex, Torture, Zombie AU, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-08 08:41:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13454571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Undertheblu/pseuds/Undertheblu
Summary: The world went to shit and most of the people went along with it. Society fell and humanity wasn't far behind.Family dead, friends torn apart, lurkers around every corner. A band of strangers has to learn to survive together in the world of the undead. Maybe even build a life.





	1. Running

**_“You don’t always need to keep watch.” Bucky smirked, clapping a hand on Steve’s shoulder._ **

**_Steve smiled and bowed his face from the sun, “If you want something done right..”_ **

**_“Call Rogers.” Bucky finished, sitting down next to his friend. The rest of their convoy was bustling around, too much free time. Men were joking about what they wanted to do on their days off, what they were going to do when they got into the city, what they were going to bring their girlfriends._ **

**_Bucky saw the way Steve’s eyes searched the parameter, “It’s okay, Steve, you can rest. We’re safe for now.”_ **

**_Steve shrugged, his grip on his gun tense, “That could easily change.”_ **

 

 

  The moon was full enough so that Bucky could see where he was walking. He sat down next to Steve, “You don’t always need to keep watch.”

 “If you want something done right..” Steve muttered, eyes darting around the darkness, his grip tight on his gun. Bucky glanced back at the others, most of them had managed to fall asleep.

  “When was the last time you got some rest?”

“I’m resting right now.” He answered, turning to his friend to look him in the eye.

 They both turned at a sound coming from the trees, both standing in a defensive stance.

“I’ll get it.” Steve said softly, moving forward. And Bucky let him, knowing that Steve _had_ to. Steve needed to go find that noise in the bushes, he had to protect their group, he needed that purpose. He heard the now familiar gurgle of the dead and the sound of Steve’s knife piercing through a skull. When the dead had first started rising up, the world didn’t know how to react. People ran and people died and then there were more dead things crawling. Bucky and Steve were lucky to have each other, both having had combat training, they managed to succeed in the new world.

  


**_“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Tony smacked Rhodey’s hand away, “Let’s be real, I’ve had more experience driving while intoxicated than I have sober. So we’re good!”_ **

**_“Do you even understand the words that come out of your mouth?” Rhodey asked._ **

**_“Shut up and get in the car.” Tony laughed, ducking into the vehicle. He inserted the key and revved the engine, “Is that not the most beautiful sound in the world?!”_ **

**_“You’re ridiculous.”_ **

**_“Factual statement.” Tony grinned. Rhodey jumped as the car swerved, “Chill out, you’re fine.”_ **

**_“I don’t think you should drive.”_**

**_“I don’t think you should be such a pussy, but I let you do you.”_ **

**_“Tony I-”_ **

**_And suddenly the car was colliding with a guardrail, throwing both the passengers like ragdolls._ **

  
  
 

“I’m fine, I’m _fine_!” Tony slapped Rhodey’s hand away.

“You’re not!”

“Just shut up and get in the car!” He hissed, slamming his door behind him. He revved the engine and put the car in reverse, driving them away from the hoard that had been drawn to the light and sound. They could hear the moaning of the dead over the noise car.

 “I hate that _fucking_ sound they make,” Tony growled as he turned in his seat to see the direction they were headed in. They rolled away from the dead bodies and zoomed backward.

“Tony-”

“We’re fine. Just need to get out of here.” When he had room, Tony whirled the car around and drove forward. He rubbed a hand over his face, the blood from his cut smeared across his skin. It dripped into his eyes, making it hard to see.

“Tony I-”

And suddenly the car was colliding with a tree, propelling both the passengers into the dashboard.

  
  
 

Tony shivered, clutching his knife to his heart as the rattling continued at the door. He closed his eyes and pulled his knees up to his chest, curling himself up, trying to wish himself out of the situation. Most of the time he could will himself to keep moving, keep fighting. But other times, when he trapped himself into a situation, he just wanted to give up, to slit his wrists and fall asleep.

 “You’ve been in worse.” He whispered under his breath to himself. He didn’t know if he was shaking because he was still wet from the rain or if he was just scared. Growing up he wasn’t allowed to be scared, even when someone was screaming in his face or threatening to blow up his home. Even when he was taken and held under water, a gun pointed at his head, he wasn’t allowed to act scared. But he was scared now and he didn’t want to be. He wanted it all to stop. He wanted the scratching and moaning at the door to stop, he wanted to stop running, he wanted to sleep, he so badly wanted to sleep.

_Stop it._

He opened his eyes and looked around the room for a way out or something to use. He couldn’t do this now, he had to keep going.  

 

“Are you alright?” Bruce asked, turning back to check on the teenager.

Peter nodded, sweat covering his face as he hoisted his backpack over his shoulder, “I’m fine.”

 Bruce shook his head, frown plain on his face, “We need a break.” He called up to the front of their group like it was he who needed the rest. Steve nodded and everyone halted, Bucky swooping around, making a circle.

“I’m okay.” Peter insisted, even as Bruce dropped his bag and dug out a water. Peter nodded and took it without question, “What a good doctor.”

“You need to speak up when things aren’t okay.” Bruce said softly.

“I am okay,” Peter nodded, handing the water back to the older man, “Just tired.”

Bruce nodded, they were all tired and Peter knew that so he had been doing his best not to complain. For a teenager he really was mature and Bruce was thankful for that. Peter crouched down, resting his hands on his knees. They’d been walking all day with the sun beating down on them, Steve insisting that they keep moving while they could. Every once in awhile Thor would argue about which direction they were going and they would **have** to stop just so Steve could bicker with him. They had been lucky, they hadn’t had too many run-ins today. Any noise they heard Steve immediately took care of it before anyone else had to deal with the dead.

  He looked around as the others stopped to drink their water, searching the parameter for dangers. He acted like he knew exactly where they were headed, but he really had no idea where they were going. He didn’t have a real destination for them. He just knew they couldn’t stay in the woods much longer.

  


Tony’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest it was beating so fast, his eyes darted around for an escape route. _Calm down. Calm down and survive._

He flinched at the clanging of metal on metal, “Come on, we just want to talk!” Called the voice.

 “Pretty boy’s playing hide and seek.” The other laughed.

Tony sneered. Why was everyone always so focused on his looks? Even in **this** world? He crawled forward, knowing he couldn’t stay behind the obvious counter. He slipped behind one of the shelves, hearing the two men move. The post office they’d ran into wasn’t full of good hiding spots and only appeared to have the one entrance that Tony could see. He was going to have to fight them. He’d been fighting the dead for so long he’d almost forgotten what it was like to fight off real people.

 “You all alone?” The first one asked, dragging his knife along the countertop, “We have a place. We could take you there.”

  _Yeah right._

“We’ve got food. You look like you haven’t eaten in awhile, come on, we’re not gonna hurt you.”

Tony heard the other one giggle, too close to where he was. He ducked further down and scooted around another shelf.

 _Shit_.

He’d blocked himself into a corner. He turned and there they were, grinning back at him. He lifted his knife and was met by a laugh from the taller one.

  “I said we don’t want to hurt you.”

“So why do you have your weapons out?” Tony replied, shifting back and forth. The weakness he had felt earlier was now being replaced by adrenaline as his eyes darted between the two men.

The talkative one shrugged, “You never know what’s hanging around a corner, nowadays.”

“You look familiar,” The bigger one said, squinting at Tony, “Did we go to school together or something?”

 “Doubt it.” Tony answered, shifting to the left.

“Do you have people somewhere?” The other one asked, taking a step forward, “We could go get them and bring them with us. Let’s go get them.”

“I don’t have anything you want.” Tony spat.

“Well who said I wanted anything from you? I just-” And the talkative one was lunging at him. Tony jumped out of the way and redirected his attacker’s movement into the shelf. The bigger one’s arm flew out, his knife catching Tony in the side. He cried out and kicked at his attacker, grabbing his side with one hand and stabbing with the other. The larger attacker let out a yell as Tony’s own knife sank into his chest. The mouthy one yanked Tony backwards, throwing him to the ground and putting all his weight on Tony’s chest.

 Tony had to reach up his hand and accept the slicing pain in his hand to keep his throat from being stabbed. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, willing himself to endure the pain and keep pushing against his attacker.

_You don’t get to stop here. Not like this._

The man was bigger than him and his arms ached, but he refused to let this man end him. The bucked his hips as hard as he could and kneeled on the man’s arm, holding down the machete. They both struggled, the man grabbed Tony’s hair and yanked his head back. A blow to his face made spots appear before his eyes but he continued to wrestle the weapon away from the other. Blows to his face turned into fingers around his throat and tears formed in his eyes. In a sudden shift, Tony’s bloody hand had the machete and he thrust it down with all his force into his attacker’s face.

  He fell backwards, body still shaking with the adrenaline of the fight. He wanted to cry or scream. This wasn’t the first time he’d been attacked by people since the world went to shit, hell, it wasn’t even the first time he’d been attacked _before_ the world went to shit. Now that his body didn’t have to work, he could feel the pain with a new intensity. He looked down at his bloody side and let out an angry noise. He looked back at the bodies on the floor and closed his eyes.

_Stop it._

   

 

         Tony’s heart leaped when he saw the building between the trees. He’d been lost in the woods for too long, he hadn’t be able to sleep in days and the building might have a first aid kit to help with his injuries. He looked down at his side at the thought, his makeshift tourniquet drenched in his blood. He limped forward, thinking that even if he couldn’t find something to patch himself up, he’d be happy to bleed out on a floor as long as it was inside. He’d been outdoors for too long, he knew he must have a fever. He was too cold, too weak, if anything came near him he wouldn’t have the strength to defend himself.

    Feet away from the building he heard voices and came to a dead halt. His heartbeat sped up as he realized the house was inhabited by at least more than one person. He let out a shaky breath, his shoulders starting to shake as his eyes darted around for the voices. He took one more step forward and frowned at himself. He knew better than to hope that _these_ people wouldn’t try to hurt him. He couldn’t risk it but he so badly wanted to be somewhere warm. Somewhere he didn’t have to fight.

    He inhaled and turned away, pushing down the hope that had filled his mind at the sight of the building. His whole body felt like dead weight as he forced himself to move forward. He looked up and met eyes with a tall man. Like a switch had been turned on, adrenaline flooded his brain. He ran, or tried to.

 _Shit_.


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The world went to shit and most of the people went along with it. Society fell and humanity wasn't far behind.  
> Family dead, friends torn apart, lurkers around every corner. A band of strangers has to learn to survive together in the world of the undead. Maybe even build a life.

 

"We need to get rid of him."

“He’s hurt.” Bruce answered.

“We don’t know what he was doing in our camp.”

“ _Probably_ looking for help!” Bruce snapped, standing defensively, “He could barely stand.”

Steve sighed and glanced toward the door, “Bruce is right, he’s hurt.”

Bucky rolled his eyes, “Alright, you fix him up, then what? He knows where we are, it’s too dangerous. He could lead someone back.”

  “He doesn’t look like he has anywhere to go,” Bruce interjected, his arms crossed over his chest, “He didn’t have any food on him or-”

“So you’re willing to risk it?”

 “I’m not willing to do whatever you’re suggesting.”

Steve’s head was in his hands, his elbows on his knees as he listened to them argue.

“You **can’t** just execute people because they could-”

 “That’s exactly why! We don’t live in the civilized world anymore, **Banner**.”

Bruce let out an angry noise, “Just because things are different doesn’t mean **we** have to be!”

 Bucky shook his head and looked to Steve for help, “People _are_ different. It’s take or be taken now. We have to take care of the people we have.”

 “He’s right,” Steve sighed, rising to his feet.

“But-”  
 “I want to talk to him before we do anything,” Steve explained calmly.

  


Tony opened his eyes and winced when he tried to sit up. He looked around and panicked. He didn’t know where he was. He remembered seeing someone and trying to run and his vision going black. He looked down at his surroundings, realizing he was in a bed. When was the last time he slept in a bed? _The last time you trusted someone_.

  A new panic rose when he realized his shirt had been removed, the hair on the back of his neck rising. He looked down at his side and saw bandages where his makeshift tourniquet had been. He found that confusing but he didn’t have long to think about it because he heard voices coming from the next room. He winced and lifted himself up, letting out a small whimper as the new stitches in his side stretched. He rolled himself off the floor, dropping down to the ground when he heard the door creak open. He peered around the end of the bed and saw boots. His heartbeat rose, pounding in his ears as he looked around the room from his angle. There wasn’t much space but he did see what must be a bathroom attached. He crawled silently but the second he felt a hand on him he turned and swung. The big blonde man in front of him jumped back, skillfully grabbing his arm  and deflecting the blow. Tony tried to yank his arm away, kicking at the stranger when he failed. They both fell to the ground as they struggled.

  “I’m not going to hurt you.” The blonde man growled, trying to sound calm as Tony fought him.

“ _Vaffanculo_!” Tony swore, wincing at the pain in his side.

His arms were too weak to properly fight off his attacker, the stab wound in his hand throbbing. His arms were soon pinned over his head so he tried to buck the man off, crying out at the pain it caused.

 “I’m not trying to hurt you! Stop!”

Tony spat at the man, trying to twist under his weight, knowing full well that he couldn’t escape from this position. He let out a cry of anger as he struggled.

 “Whoa, what’s going on?!”

“Get out of here, Peter!” The blonde man snapped over his shoulder. At the distraction, Tony managed to buck up and nearly topple the man over but he reapplied a new pressure down against Tony that kept him from moving at all.

  “Who is that?”

“Peter, go on,” A new voice entered the room.

 _God_. Tony’s brain kept supplying scenarios and he let out a frustrated cry as tears stung his eyes. He just couldn’t keep fighting people off. He was so tired of defending himself.

 A man with dark hair and glasses strode in and kneeled beside them, “Get off him please, he probably pulled his stitches.”

“If I let go he’s going to jump. I don’t know if he even speaks English.”

The dark one looked Tony in the eye, “Hello, I want to help you. I’m a doctor, I’m the one who fixed you up with those bandages. I won’t let him hurt you.”

 The blonde gave the second man a look but then looked back at Tony whose labored breath was coming out like he’d been running. He removed most of the pressure he’d been using to hold Tony down but still held his wrists. Tony tensed as the man with glasses reached forward and removed the bandages, he made a noise of annoyance and looked up the blonde.

 “I’m going to need to fix this.” He looked back down at Tony, “Some of the stitches ripped and I’m worried about the amount of blood you already lost. I want to fix it for you. Do you understand? I’d like us to move you back to the bed so I can fix the stitches.”

 He spoke slow, like Tony was about to bite one of them. Tony was shaking, his muscles too tired to work for him. He was so tired. He inhaled and nodded. The big blonde looked up at the doctor who nodded in return. The blonde let go of his wrists and offered him help to stand, which Tony unfortunately had to accept. Once he was upright he slapped away the man’s hands, nearly falling in the process.

“You still have a fever,” The doctor said, easing Tony back down to the bed.

When he was back on the bed Tony lost all will to keep his eyes open. It didn’t make sense for a doctor to help him if they were going to kill him so he let his guard down and let his eyes fall, already having used up so much energy with no obvious way to escape the two men.

 

“Why didn’t you think he spoke English?” Bruce asked, squinting his eyes as he cut new bandage.

Steve shrugged, “Swore at me in..Spanish? Italian? I dunno, it sounded like a swear.”

“He has a fever and was terrified, who knows what it was. But he does speak English.”

 Steve huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the door, “How do you know?”

Bruce chuckled, “You don’t recognize him?”

 Steve frowned in confusion, “Should I?”

“That’s Tony Stark,” Bruce nodded at the unconscious body, “I didn’t see it at first either, but when he’s calm like this it’s obvious. You don’t know what I’m talking about do you? The Starks are the most famous family in California, known for their technology development and weapon production.”

 The name suddenly clicked, a memory of it on guns he’d used in the war. He looked down at the body on the bed, “I didn’t pay attention to stuff like that...Doesn’t fight like a rich kid.”

 Bruce shrugged, “I just remember seeing his face on a lot of magazines, Peter’s probably gonna flip.”

  “I don’t want anyone else coming in here,” Steve said, looking Bruce in the eye, “Not yet. I want to speak to him first.”

 The edges of Bruce’s lips turned down, “The longer you segregate him from everyone, the harder it’s going to be. Unless you are planning on..”

“I don’t have a plan yet,” Steve answered honestly, “If he hadn’t been so injured or had a weapon I think he could’ve actually gotten some hits in, he knows how to fight. He _could_ be dangerous.”

 “Or he could be an asset.” Bruce said softly, lifting Tony’s hand to examine the wound there,“Can’t be that much older than Peter...You didn’t kill Peter.”

Steve sighed again, “Peter’s a kid. And he can’t fight **period**.”

There was a knock on the door so Steve turned and opened it enough to peer out, “Yes?”

Betty held up a bottle of water, “Thought this could be useful.”  
 “Thanks, hun.” Bruce said from the bed.

“Can I bring anything else?” She asked, handing the bottle over to Steve, “Anything for either of you?”

“No, thank you, Betty.” Steve nodded.

 She pinched her lips, “Bucky is getting a little anxious.”

“Everything’s fine.”

  He shut the door and shut his eyes. All of them were looking at him to make a decision about the stranger. He rubbed his eyes and let out another sigh.

  “Is he going to be okay?”

Bruce nodded, “There wasn’t any infection, amazingly.”

Steve nodded, as if to himself, “I’ll stay with him until he wakes up.”

Bruce made a face, “I think you scared him..”

  That was obvious.

“You willing to stay?”

“My patient.” Bruce nodded, glancing down at the strange, crude tattoo on Tony’s forearm, “I’d like to explain his injuries when he wakes.”

 

 

  Bruce held up his hands when Tony’s eyes opened, “My name is Bruce. I’m the doctor who fixed you up. I don’t want to hurt you.”

 Tony looked back at him distrustfully as he shakily sat up, shifting himself away from the stranger, “I remember.”

Bruce nodded, “Good. How do you feel?”

“Fanfuckingtastic.” Tony answered, wincing as he tried out his range of motion.

“We were worried you had a bite when we first saw you bleeding.” Tony shook his head, “How’d you get those?”

  “Not everyone’s as friendly as you.”

 “You were attacked? By people?”

Tony nodded, “It happens.”

  “Not here,” Bruce said seriously, “We take care of each other here.”

He knew the stranger didn’t believe him. He looked at Bruce like he was waiting to get jumped. The way an animal looks when it’s backed into a corner.

“I promise you, no one’s going to hurt you here. They’re nervous because they don’t know you, you just appeared out of nowhere. But once we introduce you to everyone-”

  “How many of you are there?” Tony asked, frowning.

They both looked up when the door opened. Tony tensed when the big blonde man entered so Bruce reached out and patted his leg reassuringly.

“You’re awake, good.”

“This is Steve.”

“Military.” Tony said, like a statement.

Steve nodded, “Is it that obvious?”

 “Your dogtags smacked me in the face while you were pinning me down.” Tony answered shortly.  
Steve narrowed his eyes at the attitude behind Tony’s words, “You weren’t really up for communicating.”

 “I thought I communicated my feelings pretty well, _Cagna_.” He spat the last word so Steve understood it’s meaning.

“Tony was attacked,” Bruce offered as explanation before Steve said anything, “that’s where his injuries came from. He’s still got his guard up.”

 Tony frowned when Bruce used his name, another person who thought they knew him.

 “Why were you attacked?”

 Tony directed his gaze to the big blonde, “I didn’t ask them. I ran.”

“How’d you find our place?”

 Tony shrugged, “I was just looking for anywhere. I didn’t know there were people here until I was too close. I didn’t mean to end up here.”

“Well,” Bruce started, “it’s a good thing you did, you were bleeding out badly.”

Steve glanced over at the doctor then back at Tony, “How long until he’s better?”

 “I’m fine, I’ll leave.”  
“No.” Both men answered at once.

 “Look I don’t-”

“You’re not healed.”

 “You’re not cleared to leave.”  
Tony’s frown deepened, “I didn’t _ask_ you to take me in and fix me. I’ll leave if I-”

“Look,” Steve sighed, getting annoyed with Tony’s attitude, “we don’t know you yet. We can’t just let you leave with information about where we are.”

  Tony’s lips pursed and he yanked his legs away from Bruce like he’d been burned, “You’re keeping me here? I’m your prisoner?”

“It’ll take time for you to heal anyway. You’re safe here,” Bruce said, his face sad.

Tony looked between them, feeling trapped in the little room.

“Your injuries,” Bruce continued, “they’re going to take time to heal, fighting off the dead wouldn’t be the way. We have food, shelter, you don’t look like you’ve eaten or slept in a while. We take care of each other here, we can take care of you.”

Steve watched while Bruce tried to calm the stranger. It was true, he looked awful, hollow in the same way they all had looked before they found their camp.

“What are all the injuries?” Tony asked with a tired sigh.

“Well,” Bruce shifted closer to Tony to take his wrist, “the laceration in your hand is deep but it didn’t hit any major arteries, I’m concerned about a nerve, but we’ll see as it heals. You twisted your left ankle. The gash in your abdomen has me the most worried, it’s not infected, but you lost a lot of blood from it. You had a really high fever when Steve found you, it’s amazing you were able to put up any kind of fight.”

Tony glanced at the blonde man whose arms were crossed over his chest, “And you sure did.”

 _Good_. Tony thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still not certain what direction the relationships are going to swing. Guess we'll find out together.


	3. A glimpse of something

 

“ **Well**?” Bucky asked, right there at the door when Steve exited, “I definitely heard struggling and Peter-”

“Please chill out.” Steve sighed, passing his friend, “He’s awake. I spooked him and he fought me-” Bucky shifted angrily. “I’m fine. He was scared. He didn’t even know where he was, _you_ know what it’s like to wake up in a strange place with injuries.”

“Did you speak to him?”

“Bruce.” Steve nodded and rolled his eyes at the expression on Bucky’s face.

“That doctor is too soft, Steve, you know it. The world isn’t what it was. We can’t just let a stranger-”

“We were all strangers when we started this.” Steve interrupted, “But you know **me** and I’m telling you we need to be calm. He’s not hurting anyone right now.”

Bucky was about to continue when Bruce opened the door. He looked between the two men and sighed, “Maybe we should introduce you to our guest, so he won’t seem like such a mystery.” Steve nodded and Bruce held up his hand, “ _But_ , no weapons. He’s scared enough.”

“Nope.” Bucky shook his head.

“ **My** patient.” Bruce answered, voice low and serious as he squared up to the soldier, “I didn’t just sew him together for you to kill. Understand?”

Steve was surprised at the doctor’s willingness to stand up to the bigger man to protect the stranger. Most of the party was either intimidated or scared of Bucky. But if Bruce was scared, his protective nature outweighed it.

“Fine.” Bucky set down his shotgun and knife, “If he tries anything I won’t need a gun anyway.”

Bruce shot Steve a look but opened the door. Inside the room, the stranger looked weary as he sat up defensively, wincing in the process.

Bruce made a noise, “Tony don’t get up. I need you to lie still.”

“Yeah, sure.” Tony scooted to the edge of the bed, frowning.

“This is James Barnes, Bucky.” Bruce said, walking forward, making himself a barrier between the two, “This is Tony Stark.”

“Why were you in our camp?” Bucky asked.

Tony sneered back at the expression Bucky was giving him, “I was looking for somewhere to die. I didn’t know there were people here until your man was right on top of me.”

“He had a fever.” Bruce offered, sitting on the foot of the bed, still in between the soldiers,“Still has a low grade fever.”

Tony’s skin was pale, his eyes heavy. His stance was defensive but it was obvious he didn’t have any fight left to throw.

“I won’t let them hurt you.” Bruce whispered.

“We just want to talk,” Steve said, “So we aren’t all strangers to each other. Did you have people? Where were you before this?”

Tony closed his eyes, hearing the same questions he’d heard from people who tried to kill him, “My people are gone.”

They all nodded, knowing too well.

“Like I said,” Tony said through clenched teeth, “I was looking for somewhere to die. I have nothing and no one.”

“There’s plenty of roamers out there ready to give you a place to die.” Bucky said, earning a shove from Steve and Tony a chuckle.

“Not that I think I’ve earned it, but I was hoping for something a little more peaceful. Like bleed out, something nice like that.”

“We should get some food in you.” Bruce said, changing the subject.

Tony shook his head, wincing when he shifted, “I’m fine. I don’t want to take any more from you.”

Bruce shook his own head, “Your body can’t heal itself without nutrients.”

“He’s right,” Steve nodded, taking a step forward, “Right now, we’ve got the food. This place was owned by a rich guy who kept it well stocked.”

Tony eyed them all, wary of the new people who were offering so much. The last time he’d trusted people he regretted it and those scars were still too fresh. But he had nowhere else to go. And he knew he had to accept what they offered.

 

“I can’t believe the apocalypse is how I get to meet you.” Peter grinned.

Tony laughed at the teenager’s animation, “Weird circumstances for sure.”

“There’s so much I want to ask you.” Peter shook his head, “But I know, I do know this isn’t the time or place.”

“You’re right.” Bruce said with a smirk, rewrapping the bandage on Tony’s hand.

“I was Bruce’s lab assistant,” Peter explained.

“Young,” Tony said, glancing at Bruce.

“Just like you were!” Peter grinned, “Well, obviously not _just_ like you. You were working on artificial intelligence when you were _twelve_! Jesus, that’s serious genius. I always looked up to you. I know I wasn’t on your level, but your milestones-”

“Give it a rest, Peter.” Betty said as she came in the room, “You can asking him for his autograph later.”

Peter’s ears went red as they all laughed. Admittedly, Tony enjoyed the kid. His rapid-fire questioning made Tony forget for a while. At first the soldiers had wanted to question him, along with another soldier named Sam and Steve’s younger brother, Johnny. Then a big guy named Thor wanted to meet him and red-headed Russian woman named Natasha and a man named Clint. _Finally_ , they let Peter in to meet his idol. It was a wide group but not as big as what he was used to. The soldiers were all wary of him but everyone else welcomed his presence and Tony didn’t know what to make of it.

Part of him wanted to surrender to it, accept their help and kindness as genuine. But the other half of him, the half that had kept him alive these past months, the part that kept replaying the last camp he’d stayed at, the part of him that kept reliving Rhodey’s death, that part of himself told him he had every reason to fear these people.

“How long is this healing process going to take?” Tony asked, knowing realistically he could force himself to walk on the sprained ankle, he didn't _need_ his dominant hand to fight, the hole in his side.. He cursed his own optimistic thoughts, he really couldn’t leave in his condition.

“Well,” Bruce said calmly, “that all depends on your body. You need to eat, sleep, hydrate, your body will heal itself faster with a decrease in stress.”

Tony’s eyebrow aimed high, “ _Decrease in stress_? What are you prescribing? A holiday?”

Bruce nodded back, “In a sense, yeah, from the life you were living before. Let yourself rest here, even if you have no intention of staying with us. You can’t protect yourself in your condition. And you know that.”

Tony scowled and looked away. Betty interrupted the silence by handing them all bottles of water, “Hydrate.” She said with a smile before exiting.

“Where were you before **this**? Before everything fell?” Bruce asked, Peter perking up at the question.

Tony let out a little sigh, knowing he was about to disappoint his little fanboy, “A detox program in New York.”

Peter blinked while Bruce nodded, “What for?”

Tony shrugged with a smirk, “You name it, Doc.”

“That must make **this** all the worse..” Bruce said, more a statement than a question directed at Tony.

Tony shrugged again, “Nothing like the end of the world to get you dry.” He said it with a smile but his words were flat, “It’s not a problem.”

Bruce nodded like he really believed Tony’s words. He turned to Peter, “Maybe Tony can help us with the power.”

Peter perked up again, “I’ve been trying to get the power to work. The place has a generator but it has missing parts so I’ve been trying to take apart the appliances to create a substitute part.”

Tony’s heart ached as Peter chattered on about his work, reflecting back to a younger version of himself in the teenager, “Sounds like you’re onto something, but yeah, I can help with that.”

Peter beamed and Bruce smiled his own quiet smile, “Go get your notebook, he’ll want to see what you’ve tried so far.”

Peter nearly blushed but jumped up and out of the room. Bruce turned back to Tony.

“He’s really excited you’re here.”

Tony sighed, hating the responsibility Bruce was putting on him with that. He shifted, trying not to wince at the pain he felt, “How old is he?”

“Fifteen. Older in ways, and younger in others..”

“Mm.” Tony nodded, memories of his own now distant childhood.

“If you are going to leave-”

“If your soldiers let me leave.” Tony interrupted.

Bruce frowned, “I said I wouldn’t let them hurt you.”

_I didn’t escape one prison to walk into another._

Tony bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to keep his thoughts out of his mouth. He didn’t know what they’d do if they found out where he’d come from. He didn’t know if these people would fear him more or if they were their own section of that cult he’d run away from.

 

_Tony’s heartbeat was pounding in his ears, the blood from the gash on his head was trailing down into his eyes as he was shoved to his knees. Tony shot a look at Rhodey, his head bowed in frustration. Ivan let out a chuckle as he circled the pair, two other men pointing their guns at them._

_“I’m hurt,” He said, a humorous tone to his voice, “I am truly_ **_hurt_ ** _that you felt you had to slip away in the night, without so much as a goodbye kiss. Really, Baby, were you that unhappy? Was I that bad to you?” He lowered himself to meet their gaze, “You thought you could just leave, did you?” His voice pitching low, no longer comical. He reached up his hand and tapped his index finger on Tony’s bloody forehead, “I told you. That first day you came. And every night after that. You’re_ **_mine_ ** _. You live in my camp, you live in my world. And you don’t get to check out.”_

 _“We aren’t_ **_yours_ ** _.” Tony growled, one of the men behind them smacking his head with the barrel of his shotgun._

_Ivan smiled, extending his tongue to lick his lips, “Everything here is mine. You became part of that property when you used my supplies, you ate my food, slept in my beds. And you were grateful, weren’t you? So why the change? Hm?” He reached out his hand again to cup Tony’s face which Tony slapped away. Ivan grabbed Tony’s wrist and yanked him forward, gesturing to the branded tattoo on his arm, “You think this was just because I was being dramatic?”_

_“I think you’re being fucking dramatic right now,” Tony snapped, trying to yank his arm back._

_Ivan laughed, enjoying Tony’s temper, “Oh, I missed that. I really did, a whole two days without you was torture.” He took Tony’s chin in his hand, forcing his face up, “Was it as lonely for you without me?”_

_Tony spat in his face._

_“If I had to kill myself to get away from you, I’d do it.”_

_Ivan’s face lost his pleased expression, replaced by a hard annoyance, “Not much to live for, huh? Well then I guess you won’t mind-” He nodded to the man behind Tony, who forced him to stand as Ivan grabbed Rhodey and whirled him around to face the other. “-if I do anything to him.”_

_The man holding Tony locked his arms as Tony tried to lunge forward, “Get off him! Don’t you dare touch him!”_

_“Tony, stop, don’t make it worse.” Rhodey insisted, fear plain across his face._

_“Yes,” Ivan nodded, “listen to your friend. He understands what’s good for you.”_

_“You fucking psycho! You think hurting him will make me perform for you?! You think I’ll come into your bed quietly if you touch a single hair on his head? I will fucking kill you if you hurt him!”_

_Ivan made a face, a combination of irritation and disappointment, “Baby, you’re so bad at knowing when to quit.”_

_In one swift motion, he pulled a knife across Rhodey’s throat, slicing the skin open like it was nothing. The look of shock on Rhodey’s face was quickly replaced by pain as he struggled to breathe. Tony screamed and cursed and thrashed against the man holding him. Ivan released his hold on Rhodey, letting him drop to the ground, clutching his own neck. Tony cried out, swinging his head back and making contact with his captor, who released him out of shock. Tony dropped to his knees, scooping up his friend in his arms, blood covering both of them._

_“No no no no no,” Tony chanted as the light went out of Rhodey’s eyes, “Don’t leave me!”_

_Tears poured out of Tony’s eyes as he clutched Rhodey’s body to his own, shaking and beginning to rock as he tried to will his friend back into existence. Distantly, in the part of his mind that could still think, he heard someone screaming and it took him minutes to realize it was coming from him. Too soon, someone was trying to pull him away from the body. Another pair of hands was enlisted to pry Tony away from his friend. He fought but found he had no energy to use._

_Ivan pulled his arms behind his back, holding him upright as he wailed, one of the other men placing a rope around the corpse’s neck._

_“I want you to watch this, Baby,” Ivan said softly, kissing his cheek, only half of it registering with Tony’s brain, “I want you to watch, and realize that your actions have consequences.”_

**-“Tony, stop, don’t make it worse.”-**

_Those had been Rhodey’s last words. His last words ever had been telling Tony not to ruin things._

_“You did this to him, because you’re too proud, too stubborn. He could have lived a long and happy life, if you just understood your place. Now look at him, look, it’s starting.”_

_Tony watched, slack jawed as the lifeless body started to twitch. He couldn’t bare to see his friend’s body reanimated as a monster, he turned his face away but Ivan grabbed his chin and forced him forward, pushing him closer to where the body lay._

_“_ **_Look_ ** _. Look what you did.”_

_Rhodey’s body started to lift, fingers dragging on the ground as it tried to reorient itself. Tony let out a cry and wriggled against Ivan as Rhodey’s body lifted it’s head and looked around. It let out a low noise and snapped it’s jaws together. It began to crawl towards them, Tony crying as Ivan held him still, the man holding the rope yanked the corpse backward as it reached out for them. Tony's sobs of anguish were drowned out by the guttural noise of the reanimated corpse._

_“You did this, Tony. This is all because of you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for nothing.


End file.
